This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. 2000-229296 filed in Japan on Jul. 28, 2000, Japanese Application No. 2001-177371 filed in Japan on Jun. 12, 2001, and Japanese Application No. 2001-183790 filed in Japan on Jun. 18, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ultrasonic surgical operation system for generating ultrasonic vibrations and performing treatments on living tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultrasonic operation systems are being developed, practically implemented, and widely used as surgical operating apparatuses replacing the electric scalpel. These systems can perform such treatments as coagulation, incision, and puncture, using ultrasonic vibrations or other energy.
An example of such a surgical operation apparatus that uses ultrasonic is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-38098. This is an operation apparatus wherewith a hand piece having an ultrasonic vibrator incorporated therein is attached to the main apparatus unit, ultrasonic vibrations are generated in the ultrasonic vibrator by driving signals output from that main apparatus unit, those generated ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted to an operating member at the tip end of the hand piece, that operating member is pressed against the treatment object site, and thereby living tissue is subjected to an operating procedure.
With an ultrasonic operation system such as this, as the range of applications has broadened, there are now many types of hand pieces that can be used. Thereupon, in order to meet the demand to be able to use various hand pieces in one surgical operation, configurations are being proposed wherewith multiple hand pieces are connected to the main apparatus unit.
When such multiple types of hand pieces are used, it has been necessary to perform a task to change the way connectors provided at the ends of cords extending from the hand pieces are connected to the main apparatus unit.
An expansion unit has also been proposed, with a view to cases where a plurality of hand pieces is used during one surgical operation, wherewith multiple hand pieces are attached to the main apparatus unit so that use can be made thereof, switching from one hand piece to another.
An example of this kind of thing is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-271135, wherein art is described for providing three connector ports, so that, by manipulating a selector switch provided on a front panel of an expansion unit, the connector port to be used can be selected, that is, a hand piece connected to a given connector port can be selected. In that same publication, a technology is described wherewith provision is made so that a hand switch for turning the output on and off can be attached to a hand piece, so that, when the hand switch is thrown, the hand piece to which that thrown hand switch is attached is selected.
However, when multiple hand pieces are used, there will be multiple cables extending from the hand pieces in the operating room, whereupon the operating room will possibly become congested.
With the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-271135 described above, moreover, in order to select a hand piece for use, the switch on the front panel must be manipulated, but that switch is in a non-sterile area, wherefore a surgical operator actually performing the operation cannot manipulate it, but will have to ask a nurse or other assistant to manipulate it, which is confusing.
Furthermore, the surgical operator will then have to confirm the results of the switch made with the expansion unit by looking at the panel display on the main apparatus unit, but there will be cases where the surgical operator will be in a position from which it is difficult to look at that panel display, whereupon that surgical operator will have to change positions or have an assistant make the confirmation as to which port has actually been selected, which is confusing.
There is also a technology, on the other hand, wherewith a freely detachable connector is provided at the hand piece, the cord is left connected at the main apparatus, and the surgical operator is able to use a hand piece that he or she has selected, from among a plurality of types, and connected, in the sterile area where the operation is being performed. With this technology, however, it is confusing for the nurse who is passing out and taking back instruments to confirm which hand piece the surgical operator has selected and connected to the cord.
It should be noted here that, in general, the output of a hand piece such as described in the foregoing is controlled by operating a foot switch. There are cases, however, where, depending on the type of operating instrument used, it is better to use a hand switch than a foot switch.
Various types of such hand switches have been proposed. Known to the technology are, for example, a hand switch that is formed integrally on the hand piece, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,227 and Japanese Patent Publication No. H6-42893, and a hand switch configured so that it can be freely attached to and detached from the hand piece, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,702, U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,143, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-087276, etc.
However, with a configuration wherein the hand piece cable and the hand switch cable are separate, there will be cases where the operation thereof becomes onerous, as noted below.
For example, one end of the hand piece cable is connected to some operating instrument, and the other end is connected to a generator. Also, a hand switch is attached to the operating instrument, and a hand switch generator plug is connected to the generator. The operating instrument is then used in such an arrangement as this.
Subsequently, the operating instrument, with the hand switch still attached thereto, is detached from one end of the hand piece cable, another operating instrument is connected to that one end of that hand piece cable, and that other operating instrument is used by controlling it by a foot switch. If, at this time, the hand switch that is still attached to the original operating instrument is manipulated, there is a possibility that output will be effected from the other operating instrument currently being used, and measures will have to be taken to deal with that possibility, which is troublesome and leads to surgical operating times becoming lengthy.
Furthermore, with a configuration wherein the hand piece cable and the hand switch cable are separate, the number of cables extending from the hand piece will be two, making the operating room more congested.
In Japanese Patent No. 2608692, moreover, the technology is described wherewith one hand switch cable extends from a hand piece socket provided in one end of the hand piece cable, a hand switch is provided integrally at the end of that hand piece cable, and that hand switch can be attached to and detached from the hand piece.
With the technology described in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,692, however, the hand switch and the hand switch cable are made integral with the hand piece cable, wherefore it is not possible to select a hand switch of optimal shape according to the operating instrument that is to be attached, the operability of the operating instrument itself may be caused to deteriorate, and there may be cases where that operating instrument cannot be attached. Furthermore, even in the case of an operating instrument that does not require a hand switch, because the hand switch is integrated therewith, it has to be attached to the hand piece, and there is a possibility that it will get in the way.
An ultrasonic operation apparatus in an ultrasonic operation system such as described above will generally comprise a hand piece having an ultrasonic vibrator incorporated therein, and an ultrasonic vibration transmission member for transmitting ultrasonic vibrations to the operating member, which hand piece and ultrasonic vibration transmission member are configured as separate members. Also, provision is made so that, to a horn provided in the hand piece for the purpose of increasing the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibrations, a probe configured of a separate member can be connected, by screwing it in, for example, such that it can be detached.
Cases where a surgical operation is performed using such an ultrasonic operation apparatus as this are not limited to those where a single ultrasonic operation apparatus is used. In surgical operations performed with the use of a laparoscope, for example, multiple ultrasonic trocar outer cannulas are used which may be of different thicknesses. In such cases, an ultrasonic probe (needle) that matches the trocar outer cannula that is to be inserted through the abdominal wall is selected, and the trocar outer cannula is combined together with that ultrasonic probe and used. After it has been passed through the abdominal wall, the trocar outer cannula is left in place and only the ultrasonic probe with the hand piece attached is removed. When it is possible for the ultrasonic probe to be mounted on and used with another trocar outer cannula that is to be inserted next, it can be used as it is, with the hand piece still attached, but when it is to be used with a trocar outer cannula having a different sized diameter, an ultrasonic probe that matches that diameter must be attached to the hand piece for use. This is a troublesome task, and makes it difficult to perform operations quickly.
Other conceivable means include the preparation of multiple sets wherein ultrasonic probes that match a plurality of trocar outer cannulas having different sizes of diameters are respectively combined therewith. In that case, however, the number of output cables connected to the hand pieces becomes plural, and, because there will often be other cables such as high-frequency output cables, water delivery tubes, and air delivery tubes and the like, it becomes a chore to handle all these cables, the different cables will readily become tangled, and the work site will become quite congested.
Furthermore, because there is ordinarily one connector connection port in an ultrasonic oscillating output generator apparatus, a number of tasks must be performed, such as identifying the output cable for the hand piece to be used from a plurality of output cables and connecting the connector thereof to the connector connection port, changing such connections, and verifying the way in which that connection is made, making it quite a chore to find a specific cable among the different tubes that are in the congested state described above. In particular, because the ultrasonic oscillating output generator apparatus will be installed in a position quite removed from the sterilized area where the operation is being performed, those tasks will often have to be delegated to an assistant, and, even when those tasks are delegated to an assistant, liaison therewith is troublesome and inefficient.
Also, ultrasonic probes are usually removed from the hand piece for storage. Thus, every time one is used, a surgical operator or nurse or the like will have to screw a threaded part provided in the base end of the probe into a threaded part in the horn of the hand piece, using a special wrench or other tool, to join the two together.
If the screwing in is not done with the proper force, however, it is possible that the screw connected part will fail during use, due to vibration, just as ultrasonic vibrations are being generated, or that heat will be generated until overheating occurs. For such reasons, there has been an overwhelming tendency to make the screw connection too tight with a wrench. When that screw connection is made too tight, a possibility arises that the screw connection will subsequently fail, or, even if it does not fail, that the ability thereof to transmit vibrations will deteriorate.
Thereupon, special tools have been proposed for maintaining the proper screw tightening force, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,155, but even when such a tool is used, the problems of the time and trouble required to manage all this remain.
Furthermore, because this is a configuration wherein the ultrasonic probe is attached to the hand piece by a screw-in coupling, there will be cases where, due to the force used when doing the screwing in, the position of the ultrasonic probe about the axis, relative to the hand piece, will become altered. Thus, with a configuration wherein attachment is effected by screwing in, it has been very difficult to always attach the ultrasonic probe to the hand piece such that the two are lined up in a certain way.
When the shape of the operating member of the ultrasonic probe is not equal around the axis, in cases where, as with an ultrasonic trocar, for example, the blade tip is formed so as to be slightly flat in order to make the puncture so as to part the tissue along the grain thereof, it is often necessary to rotate the hand piece being held so as to change the way the operating member of the ultrasonic probe is oriented. For that reason, it is virtually impossible to continually hold the hand piece comfortably in the same position in a similar attitude. In other words, in view of the necessity to change the way the hand piece is held, while verifying the orientation of the operating member of the ultrasonic probe for each instrument, there have been cases where it was very difficult to hold and use the hand piece in a position where it was easy to work.
Meanwhile, in order to detect the utilization limit of an ultrasonic operation apparatus, a technology is being developed wherewith information specific to a hand piece is monitored at the ultrasonic oscillating output generator apparatus that supplies the electric drive power to that hand piece, the number of times the hand piece is used and the condition of such use are recorded, and that record is used to determine when the utilization limit has been reached.
It is very difficult, with such technology for monitoring information specific to a hand piece, to monitor the amount of use and the remaining life and so forth of a probe that is a separate member from that hand piece, but it is a fact that the durability performance of the probe is often lower than the durability performance of the hand piece. That being so, even when an effort is made to replace only the probe, it has not been possible to accurately determine when to make that replacement and thus deal with the problem.
Therefore, with the technology described in the foregoing, it has not been possible to configure an ultrasonic surgical operation system of sufficiently good operability, and it is safe to say that there is room for further improvement.
An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic surgical operation system exhibiting good operability.
The present invention, simply described, is an ultrasonic operation system comprising: a drive signal generator unit comprising: a drive signal oscillator circuit for generating drive signals for driving an ultrasonic vibrator; and a first connector receptacle for outputting drive signals generated by that drive signal oscillator circuit; a transmission cable comprising: first connector means that are for transmitting the drive signals and that detachably connect to the first connector receptacle; and second connector means for outputting transmitted drive signals; a first hand piece comprising: a second connector receptacle that detachably connects to the second connector means; a first ultrasonic vibrator that vibrates ultrasonically in response to the drive signals input from that second connector receptacle; and a first probe for transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations generated by the first ultrasonic vibrator to the subject body; and a second hand piece comprising: a third connector receptacle that detachably connects to the second connector means; a second ultrasonic vibrator that vibrates ultrasonically in response to the drive signals input from that third connector receptacle; and a second probe, of a shape different from that of the first probe, for transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations generated by the second ultrasonic vibrator to the subject body.
These object(s) and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed explanation.